No guarantees so Frank Lampard could be off next month

Lampard has already revealed the club have not offered him a new deal and fears his time at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end.

The 34-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has been linked with a new year move to QPR, where his uncle Harry Redknapp is now in charge.

Monaco are believed to have joined the chase, while he is also a target for LA Galaxy as a replacement for David Beckham. Increasingly, Lampard has been playing as a defensive midfielder this term and Chelsea’s limited options in this area will get worse when John Obi Mikel departs for the Africa Cup of Nations next month.

But when asked today if Lampard could leave in January, Benitez said: “The future of players is always the same. I can’t say too much. He is fully committed in every training session and every game. He is an important player for us but I can’t say too much about how he feels [regarding his future]. I’m happy with his attitude.”

Lampard will be crucial in the Capital One Cup quarter-final against Leeds tomorrow as Ramires and Mikel are both suspended.

The match is not just between two rival teams but also two rival coaches as Leeds manager Neil Warnock still blames Benitez for the way his former club Sheffield United were relegated in 2007.

Warnock admits he may not shake Benitez’s hand and revealed the former Liverpool coach sent him a legal threat in an e-mail warning him to stop talking about the time he picked a weakened Reds side in a key game against Fulham.

Benitez hit back at Warnock’s complaints but will offer his hand. He added: “The League is 38 games, not just one. But I am professional and don’t have a problem. I just want to do my job. People will be watching and have to act in the right way.”

Chelsea only arrived back in London yesterday after a 12-hour flight from Japan, having spent a week there in their failed attempt to win the Fifa Club World Cup.

Benitez is confident they will still beat Leeds and said: “We have done some training and the players said they are fine. We have a chance to be in a semi-final and if we get in the semi-final, we will try to be in final.”

Striker Daniel Sturridge is in contention to be in the squad after recovering from a hamstring injury.